I used to save every release sheet and musician’s letter of introduction that landed on my desk.

I was new to the role of music industry insider and had no idea how many aspiring performers were out there. In my fresh-faced newness, I figured that every one of the musicians touching base with me was destined for superstardom and that now I not only had their autograph (if they signed the letter) but also proof that I knew them before they were world famous.

That illusion, of course, was shattered quickly. But I still value release sheets.Especially the good ones.What’s in a good one? Well, obviously, the person’s name and contact information, as well as what the current album or project is about. And while I can usually count on those details being included, it’s amazing what some people leave out! Herewith some of my favourite past sins of omission (with names and other identifying information left out to protect the guilty, who don’t need to be trashed in this space)…

Location Location LocationWhere are you from? CBC music programmers want to know. Not only do we have to play at least 50% Canadian content, we program music with a geographical priority that goes like this: Local Act first, followed by Act From The Same Province, Act From Another Part of Canada (ideally someone coming to town for a show), and finally, Act Not From Canada (ideally a big name or a big name coming to town for a show). Tell us where you’re based, for sure, but also where you were born or where you grew up or went to school. All of these details can give you a potential local “hook” and – importantly - a step up the ladder of priority regardless of where you may now reside. A Life in Brief, But Also in TruthWe don’t need to know every detail of your life, but a paragraph or two can tell us a lot. Don’t lie, but don’t undersell yourself either. While it’s wrong to turn a quick meeting with someone from a famous group into onetime “membership” in that band (as one hapless musician once claimed on a release sheet I received), it also serves no purpose to be vague about something really cool. A very accomplished but otherwise little known musician, being overly modest, noted on a release sheet that he used to “work for” the founder of a highly prominent record label. I chuckled, assuming that could mean anything from being the A&R man to swabbing the floors. Turns out the humble performer was a singer in a vocal band that won a Grammy! And of course it’s never a bad idea to mention awards or nominations for major prizes like Junos, ECMAs, and the Polaris Prize. As with anything else in the performer’s bio, we do thorough research to verify this information.

Tour DatesIf you’re timing the release of your new recording to a tour of any size, this is information that:1) gets us moving faster to add your music to our playlist, and 2) give you spins in, say, Edmonton, even if you’re from Halifax.If They Liked You, We Probably Will TooThere’s no need to list every station that’s played your previous recordings, but if you’ve had spins on college radio or have been written up or reviewed in prominent publications like Exclaim! or the Georgia Straight, let us know. Exposure like this tells us that someone reputable outside the CBC thinks you’ve already passed an important audition.

Major Festival AppearancesSee the above. Substitute “Halifax Pop Explosion” or “Mariposa” for Exclaim! and the Georgia Straight.

We Know Their Names, We’ll Check Out Your NumbersChances are you’ve included this info on the album itself (we’ll check), but working with some prominent musicians or a well known producer is also worth a mention. Again, if they like you, we probably will too.

One final one, which is more a sin of commission than omission (though as you’ll see something has been left out here too):

Illegible or hard to Read CopyPlease, please, no tiny fonts or white letters on a black background (we like to use highlighter pens to flag out key points, which are hard to detect against a dark backdrop). There are also radio types – like me – who are colour-blind and struggle with, say, blue letters on a purple background. (The sign of omission here, I suppose, is leaving out consideration for the person who has to read the release sheet!)

All of the above points are in every first class release sheet that comes our way. Best of all, it’s possible to include all of this information on just a single page…or half the space I’ve just used!

ABOUT MARK RHEAUME

In the CBC Music Library, Mark Rheaume auditions thousands of new recordings for potential airplay every year – everything from independently produced albums by struggling artists to the latest releases from international superstars. He appears as a music columnist on the CBC Radio shows “Fresh Air”, “Ontario Morning”, and Fredericton’s “Information Morning”. In a ten-year run from 2004 to 2014, he profiled new albums in a syndicated feature carried on CBC stations across the country. He has served as a juror for the Juno Awards and the Polaris Prize and for many years appeared regularly on CBC’s “Definitely Not the Opera”, providing a historical context for music in popular culture.

Born in Fort Smith, North West Territories, Mark grew up in Ottawa, where he bought his first piece of recorded music when he was eight years old (a 45 of “Proud Mary” by Solomon Burke). He graduated from the Broadcasting program at Algonquin College and joined the CBC in 1998. His first project at the CBC was archiving the thousands of scripts and albums left to the CBC Music Library by the late radio personality Clyde Gilmour of “Gilmour’s Albums” fame. He lives in Toronto with his wife Kelly and cat Coltrane.